Work has started on a £1 million pound makeover of the Newton Heath district centre in east Manchester.

Funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and Manchester City Council, the work is being carried out by urban regeneration company New East Manchester.

A range of improvements are designed to create a more attractive shopping environment in Newton Heath for local residents and the wider community which will encourage continued investment into the area.

The work includes up-grading the main high street, Church Street, and All Saints Street with new high quality paving and installing new benches, bins and bollards and cycle racks. The green space opposite the All Saints Church, where a new war memorial is planned, will also be improved with better landscaping, paths and seating.

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To make the area safer for pedestrians, traffic calming measures will be put in place creating a 20 mile per hour zone and a pedestrian crossing will be introduced on Drolysden Street near the children's centre.

The area is also to get new street lights with lampposts designed to allow for hanging baskets and wired up ready for any future CCTV cameras.

Better parking, with on-street parking bays will be provided and new public car parking around the shops to encourage shoppers has been incorporated into the plans. New signage will also be installed including destination signs and signposts that will direct people to local amenities.

Eddie Smith, Chief Executive of New East Manchester said: "We have recognised for some time that Newton Heath was in need of facelift so we are very pleased to have secured the funding from our partners to carry out this work. Improving the look and feel of the shopping area will make a dramatic difference to the centre of this vibrant east Manchester neighbourhood. Not only will it create a much more pleasant environment for local residents but we are confident these improvements will encourage further investment and attract more people to consider Newton Heath as a place to live, work and visit."

The work is being carried out by George Cox & Sons Ltd based in Bolton in Lancashire, and will be complete by the end of the year.

(CD/JM)